My name is Carlo DeVito, and I am the author of East Coast Wineries: A Complete Guide from Maine to Virginia published by Rutgers University Press. This blog is dedicated to primarily east coast wines and wineries including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It will also feature products and information from other regions.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

The Vineyard at Strawberry Hill

The Vineyard at Strawberry Hill was not covered in my book, because I discovered it too late in the publishing process. I would like to correct that right now.

Robert Summer is a music industry executive who has been president of RCA Records and Sony Music International. He and his wife Susan Summer have been collecting fine art since before the 1980s.

"It was a time when everyone was collecting American art, and we looked at our collection and felt that what we really enjoyed were the young artists from Glasgow, so we thought going forward we would do a collection of figurative art" from British painters, Mrs. Summer told Alistair Highet in the September 2003 issue of Preview Connecticut.

Mrs. Summers told Highet that the young painters being featured in a particular exhibit "knew how to put paint to canvas, and of course the prices were a minor amount when compared to what they were asking in the states at the time." According to Highet, “The Summers' collection -- Stephen Campbell, Peter Howson, Adrien Wieszniewski among them -- then inspired a more ambitious idea. In the 1990s, the couple ran a kind of artists' residency program out of an old mill building in Bantam, where they invited young British artists to come and paint for a year, all expenses paid. The open studio events during those years were some of the most exciting art events in Connecticut, and many of those painters have gone on to prominent careers.”

These are the people who own The Vineyard at Strawberry Ridge, possibly one of the most beautiful vineyards in New England, along with Greenvale and Sakonnet, and that is saying something. In September of 2004, The Vineyard at Strawberry Ridge was recognized as a "Favorite Find" in the fall 2004 issue of Town & Country Travel Magazine. It’s that beautiful.

The Vineyard at Strawberry Ridge is located on 22 acres of hilly terrain overlooking Lake Waramaug in northwestern Connecticut. They’ve been making it for approximately 10 or more years. The crush, barrel aging and bottling, is performed under our supervision at a modern off premise facility in North Stonington, Connecticut.

The Chardonnay has been their signature wine. It is a small quantity production that has found excellent placement among restaurants around the New York City metropolitan area and beyond. They have recently released a 100% cabernet sauvignon. Both are dry and classic, as the Summer’s prefer classic wines.

At the recent CRITICS CHALLENGE 2006 WINE COMPETITION, The Vineyard At Strawberry Ridge received the Critics Award for their 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon 'Ascot Reserve' California. Nick Passmore wrote, “Appealingly sweet fruit balanced by a hint of fine minerality.” The 2003 Chardonnay 'Ascot Reserve' Western Connecticut Highlands also won the Critic’s Award. “Crisp, bright and lemony notes marry in a juicy chardonnay,” wrote Leslie Sbrocco.

According to their website, “In a first for Connecticut wine, Ascot Reserve has penetrated the international market and can now be found on the wine list at the new Wynn Resort in Macau.”

Their wines can be bought at Zachy’s, as well as ordered in these fine restaurants:

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About Me

Carlo DeVito is a long time wine lover, and author of books and magazine articles. He is the author of Wineries of the East Coast. He has traveled to wine regions in California, Canada, up and down the east coast, France, Spain and Chile. He has been a published executive for more than 20 years. He shepherded the wine book program of Wine Spectator as well as worked with Kevin Zraly, Oz Clarke, Matt Kramer, Tom Stevenson, Evan Dawson, Greg Moore, Howard Goldberg, and many other wine writers. He has also published Salvatore Calabrese, Jim Meehan, Clay Risen, and Paul Knorr.
Mr. DeVito is the inventor of the mini-kit which has sold more than 100,000,000 copies world wide. He has also publisher such writers as Stephen Hawking, E. O Wilson, Philip Caputo, Gilbert King, James McPherson, John and Mary Gribbin, Thomas Hoving, David Margolick, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., John Edgar Wideman, Stanley Crouch, Dan Rather, Dee Brown, Susie Bright, and Eleanor Clift.
He is also the owner of Hudson-Chatham Winery, co-founder of the Hudson Berkshire Beverage Trail, and president of the Hudson Valley Wine Country.
https://carlodevito.wordpress.com/